An internal combustion engine that reforms fuel to combustible gas by using heat of exhaust gas is known as disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 (JP-A-2006-226167). Such a prior internal combustion engine is equipped with a fuel reforming catalyst for performing a control (reforming control) for generating combustible gas from fuel by utilizing the steam reforming reaction.
The fuel reforming catalyst can generate the combustible gas from fuel efficiently in a specific temperature range which is suitable for the reforming reaction. Therefore, in the prior art arrangement, operation control may be performed so that temperature of the catalyst is raised, or supply of the fuel to the catalyst is suspended when temperature of the fuel reforming catalyst is lower than the specific temperature.    [Patent Document 1] JP-A-2006-226167